Llanelli Scarlets  20 : 24  Worcester Warriors

They say that the sun shines on the righteous.  If so, there must have been a sizeable gathering of the godly at Stradey Park, Llanelli on Saturday, though the chilly wind perhaps indicated a sprinkling of sinners as well.

Stradey is home to two impressive rugby teams: the Scarlets, playing in the Heineken Cup and the Celtic League, and Llanelli RFC, plying its trade in the Welsh Premier League.  Both teams are the product of one of the most famous rugby clubs in the world, and both wear the famous scarlet jersey with pride.

The town of Llanelli is in the process of reinventing itself.  Gone are the steelworks and heavy industry which brought it prosperity and then depression.  In their place are parks, promenades and a championship golf-course. Despite this, it is not a prosperous area (as the low prices at the ground indicated) but, situated as it is between the holiday hot-spots of the Gower and South Pembrokeshire, Llanelli is worth a visit these days. 

In some ways, this fixture reminded us of Penzance. Stradey Park is within walking distance of the sea; the club provides the most westerly first-class rugby in Europe; it has a proud tradition of sporting success grown from a working class community; despite the professional era, it has retained its sense of a family club.

To any Welsh Worcester supporter or anyone with a knowledge of rugby history, the sign on the outskirts of Llanelli:

Next Fixture: Scarlets  V Worcester

Must have sent a frisson of excitement down the spine. We are still the newcomers in the big time and there are still lots of “first times” to come.  A “friendly” this might be, but our opponents were the giants of rugby mythology.

We arrived at Stradey in bright morning sunshine to be met by a gateman who came from Hereford!  £3 to park in the ground seemed a reasonable price, especially as it was only 10.15am.  We had time for a walk to the sea before taking an early snack at the Scarlets Café.  The entrance to this simple establishment is adorned with images of Rupert Moon, Chris Wyatt and Robin McBride and, inside, the walls are covered with caricatures and autographs of dozens of famous Llanelli players, past and present.

Stradey Park is 130 years old and, for much of that time, it has been the home of great players and famous victories.  We were able to visit the Club Museum and Members’ Bar, which reminded us that Llanelli has beaten every overseas touring side at least once, including the legendary 9 – 3 win over the All-Blacks in 1972.  Its past players have included Phil Bennett, JJ Williams, Derek Quinnell (and Scott, Craig and Gavin), Ieuan Evans, Jonathan Davies and Phil Davies (now Director of Rugby at Leeds).  Their coach, Carwyn James, masterminded the winning Lions tour to New Zealand in 1971 (and their current coach, Gareth Jenkins, worked with the victorious mid-week Lions in 2005).  The International Honours board filled a long club room.  As a Worcester supporter dryly observed: “Anyone you see here over 50 could be a Welsh rugby legend”.

It is not all past glory either.  Before the match we were invited to congratulate current Lions Dwayne Peel and Simon Easterby, and the game itself was part of Robin McBride’s Testimonial Year.  Stephen Jones, now of Montferrand, made his name in Llanelli and it was also the club which contributed to the career of our own Craig Gillies.  We all hope that it will help the development of Clive Stuart-Smith who played against us for the whole of Saturday’s game.

As usual, the Worcester Supporters’ “Barmy Army” turned up in force.  There was much to talk about: the Fat Boy 7’s Trophy, the Dragonboat victory, the cricket challenge match, as well as what was happening at Sixways and when we would see our new signings.  There was speculation about how we would measure up to the famous Llanelli combination of rock-solid forwards and free-flowing backs.  What could we expect from Tim Collier – the heaviest man in the Premiership – and from Nicholas Le Roux aka “Speedy Gonzales”?

As the game progressed, our queries were answered and our spirits rose.  Comparisons with pre-season performances last summer showed how far we had come in 12 months.  As James Brown sent kicks soaring between the saucepan be-decked posts, chants of “War-ri-ors” echoed around the ground, to be answered by bursts of “Sospan fach…” from the Scarlets’ supporters.

This might have been a pre-season warm-up, but the competitive edge was still there.  “There’s no such thing as a ‘friendly’ against Llanelli,” my Neath-born mother had warned.  She was right.  The referee (sponsored by Specsavers) needed a firm hand and a yellow card a-piece to keep both teams in order.  It was a compliment to the Warriors that, as the game progressed, more and more of Llanelli’s “big guns” were brought on, while we risked playing some of our new boys. [But who was our fearless number 22 who replaced Mat Powell and brought down the steamrollering Havili with a flying tackle?]

At the end of the game, the announcer showed real warmth in his thanks to the Worcester supporters and, for the next half hour, fans and players from both sides mingled on the pitch.  Youngsters rushed around collecting autographs from any player they could find: our own Uche Oduoza was besieged by minis from both Warriors and Scarlets.  After all, if you grow up in Llanelli, anyone over 18 could be a future [Welsh] rugby legend!

So we said our thanks and goodbyes.  Some of us were coming home; some were staying on for the craic and the coast.  Everyone I spoke to was in agreement that it had been a splendid day – not just because of the result, but from the warmth of the welcome and the chance to revive old friendships and make new ones.

As we made our way home to the Midlands, red in the face from sun and wind, we recalled the words of Max Boyce, written after the famous win of 1972, but equally applicable to a thoroughly enjoyable visit by Worcester to the far West:

“For we all got scarlet fever and we caught it at the game!”

RT 21 Aug 2005